Susan Blakney, CEO and Partner, Fellow AIC & IIC
Fellow of the AIC and the IIC with a long resume - see link below- Susan started her career in London in 1969 working for William Fraser Lowe and learning all aspects of conservation of old master paintings at his studio in Maida Vale. She returned to her native USA in 1975 and became the first full time professional painting conservator in the Syracuse and Finger Lakes area of Central New York State. [ Biography | Resume ]
susan_at_westlakeconservators.com note: for e-mail addresses listed here remove the "_at_" and replace with "@"

Margaret Sutton, Partner, Senior Paintings Conservator
Margie has been working with her sister Susan since 1975 and has specialized in the lining of paintings. She is a master at tear repair and removing deformations of canvas paintings, murals, and auxiliary supports. Since studying with Gustav Berger in the early 1980's she has preferred Beva but is always willing to hear new ideas and study new adhesives. Although you will never see her inpainting it has been her hand that has structurally repaired and lined all of the paintings that have come through the lab since the late 1970's, giving her perhaps more experience in this field than any of the rest of us will ever have, and at a young age. If you have any technical questions about linings, supports, or adhesives please feel free to call.
margie_at_westlakeconservators.com

John Sutton, Conservator of Paintings
A Finger Lakes native, born in Rochester, armed with a BA in History and an MA in Education from the University of Rochester John was quickly snapped up by the US Army in 1969 and given a free tour of the far east. Returning home in 1971 he lived in the mountains of northern Vermont for a year before coming down to teach social studies to seventh and eighth graders. This proved more dangerous than the army and was quickly dropped as a career move, however the teaching opportunity brought John back to the Finger Lakes and he "settled" in Skaneateles, NY in 1972.
Married in 1973 to Margaret Blakney, Susan's sister, John joined West Lake in 1982. Conservation proved to be a good match after refinishing antique boats at a local marina and working winters in the County Clerk's Office as an abstract and title clerk. He now studies the history and art history of the Finger Lakes and is gathering data to be published someday on the web.
Links to Published Articles
john_at_westlakeconservators.com

Dan Cochrane, Conservator of Works on Paper and Photographs
Dan Cochrane joined our staff in 2009. Dan owned and operated his Chicago based private practice for 19 years. His apprenticeship was with two AIC Fellows. Dan's specialties include all graphic works on paper and vellum and 19^th & 20^th Century photographs. He has supervised on site disaster (floods and fire) recovery of artworks and photographs for corporate and university collections in the Midwest. His assessments include the Krannert Museum of Art at the University of Illinois, Indiana University Art Museum, and The David and Alfred Smart Museum of Art at The University of Chicago. Since 1987 Dan has been leading workshops and lecturing on the history and preservation of family photographs at regional art centers, libraries and schools including The Newberry Library, Columbia College, Chicago, the von Liebig Art Center, Naples Florida and others. Dan received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Photography, and The History of Photography from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago in 1985. So far he is enjoying the change in scenery in Central New York.

dan_at_westlakeconservators.com

Michael Farrell, Business Manager
After 12 years managing art galleries and perfecting a lot of other skills Michael joined West Lake Conservators in 1998. Things haven't been exactly the same since. Michael conducts and directs the business and will be the first and last person you will be in contact with after visiting us. He makes the paperwork seem fun and keeps the conservators in line when they start to stray. His managerial skills are sublime and we invite any one of our past or future customers to call and have a chat with him.
michael_at_westlakeconservators.com

Chiara Kuhns, Painting Conservator
Chiara is an artist, an art historian, and a paintings and fresco conservator. She is a real advocate of the arts and believes in the importance of exposing, educating and preserving the primary sources of our world's history. Born in Florence, Italy, Chiara has taken advantage of the resources that this "mecca" of the art world has to offer. Florence has allowed her to receive a BA in Art History and complete a dual Masters degree in Museology and Conservation of Paintings and Frescoes. In 2002 Chiara taught a course on "The History and Art History of Florence" at Gonzaga University in Florence.
Chiara has been a part of many conservation teams in Florence, New York City, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. In 1999 she joined the team at West Lake Conservators in Skaneateles. She has been a dynamic member of West Lake Conservators, helping conduct and organize workshops, being a liaison to our colleagues in Italy, and being our resident expert on Italian Renaissance and European paintings.
chiara_at_westlakeconservators.com

Shelley Buff, Assistant Office Manager
Shelley joined West Lake in 2005 to help in all aspects of office management, customer service, and as paperwork assistant to the conservators who need help. Shelley is a native of Skaneateles, and has worked with art and jewelry for years in the Skaneateles area.
Shelley_at_westlakeconservators.com

Julie Kupris, Intern and Photographer
Julie joined West Lake after graduating from Wells College in 2005. She is our staff photographer, photo editor and intern in the paintings lab.